Petroleum vinegar?

Caterina

At today's OS meet one of the things we discussed is that white spirit vinegar is not necessarily the pure and natural green choice as it can be made from petroleum.

Also, we wondered whether Sarsons, being a "traditional UK brand" would be a safe choice.

Well, I have just discovered that Sarsons is no longer British, but Japanese, for starters (see http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/jun/15/sarsons-vinegar-sold-japan-mizkan-premier).

I am going to investigate this issue further but am wondering in anybody knows more about it.

Edited to add this informative link: http://www.theecomum.com/blog/eco-myth-busting-myth-3-white-vinegar-is-the-greener-cleaner-nope#_

Blimey, what is happening to this world, is it possible trust any food any more? :eek:

Seakay

I have never heard of vinegar being brewed from petroleum and would be most interested to know the source of this rumour - also the method

Vinegar is not listed here:

http://www.ranken-energy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm

nor here:

http://www.treehugger.com/style/50-surprising-fashion-and-beauty-products-made-from-oil-that-you-probably-use-everyday-even-if-youre-green.html

As far as I know white spirit vinegar is distilled malt vinegar -
" Distilled malt
This is a clear, white vinegar, also known as spirit vinegar, made by distilling ordinary malt vinegar to produce a very strong, colourless liquid high in acetic acid. It is less pungent than malt vinegar."

Caterina

Here is another couple of links, US based, did not manage to find any UK ones, that's why I am asking here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/08/is_that_right_vinegar_can_come.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=afq6hkE8pQn4

Gingernutty

I suspect what the OP is bugging about is the confusion between the use of scientific terminology, deliberately vague use of language by big business and the disingenuous outpourings from the somewhat paranoid end of the Internet.

Vinegar, non brewed condiment and acetic acid are all separate and different terms for different things. There is also a distinction between British legislation and the somewhat laxer standards of American big business.

It is a criminal offence to pass off non brewed condiment as vinegar. It must be listed as acetic acid not E260 on food labels.

Here, in the UK, If a fish and chip shop uses "non brewed condiment" (industrially produced acetic acid, water, colours and flavours), then they are to mark it as such - they can't just put it in an empty vinegar bottle.

Here, if it says vinegar, then it's vinegar - there are industrial fermentation processes, but it's still vinegar.

Distilled, or white vinegar is still vinegar but can be produced from industrial ethanol a chemical which can come from the petrochemical industry - however it's not as cheap as alcohol from malt fermentation or in the case of Heinz, corn.

The term distilled comes from the distilled alcohol not from the distillation of malt vinegar to make the white form but from the distillation of malt fermented alcohol.

More from Wiki here, here, here and here

Caterina

Thank you Gingernutty for your very informative reply.

Seakay

Caterina wrote: »

Here is another couple of links, US based, did not manage to find any UK ones, that's why I am asking here:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2009/08/is_that_right_vinegar_can_come.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=afq6hkE8pQn4

from reading your links I gather that while technically possible using some definitions no vinegar made from petroleum has been produced, and Heinz are seeking to 'reassure' their customers on an issue which does not exist. - buy Heinz because we don't do a bad thing (which no one else does either)

It's as if Nescafe put out a statement declaring that they didn't use benzene in their decaffeination process. (No one does, but it's potentially toxic and has been used in the distant past)
The inference is that others do, but actually they don't.

Caterina

Ah well it looks like I was worrying unnecessarily then! :T